Volunteer Spotlight
Mikayla McGill
Mikayla McGill has been one of our AmeriCorps State and National members since June 2020. She is originally from Buffalo Grove, IL. Currently, Mikayla is in her undergraduate studies at Loyola University of Chicago studying elementary education with minors in special education and educational policy.
Q: How did you get involved with Chicago HOPES for Kids?
Well, I have a minor in educational policy and as part of that minor, the last thing I had to do was find an internship where I could practice some kind of policy. So I was just doing a lot of research trying to find something when I stumbled upon Chicago HOPES for Kids. I was interested because they focused on homelessness and education of students who are experiencing homelessness.
Q: What does volunteering mean to you?
Volunteering is super important to me. It is very important to be involved in the community that you are a part of and to help out in any way that you can. So I love how Chicago HOPES gave me an opportunity to volunteer my time with kids, especially because I am passionate about helping kids, as I am going to be a teacher.
Q: So, how was balancing doing HOPES while also being a school teacher and being in school yourself?
It definitely was really hard sometimes. I started over the summer while I was taking a summer class and was a part of Golden Apples, which was another internship that was all virtual. It was just really hard to balance everything. Going into this school year it was even harder because I also babysit on the side of doing HOPES, University classes, and being a student teacher. So, it was definitely hard to balance but I tried to be as available as I could be and present when I was working with Chicago HOPES and for my other responsibilities. What helped me was really just managing my time and making sure to have a really organized planner.
Q: How has the transition to virtual been as you are a student, a student teacher and a volunteer for HOPES? And what have you learned from it?
It was actually pretty eye-opening to see it from both perspectives because from the teacher perspective you're like “Why aren't these kids on the computer the whole time?” or like “Why are they signing off?” Because I was able to see first-hand from students at the shelter how hard it is to be on the computer all the time, I understood. Also I learned that there are so many outside reasons that they might not be signing in to class that day. Even at GNP, there weren't enough outlets or didn't have computers at the beginning. It opened my eyes to realize that teachers really need to be more understanding and responsive to the students' needs rather than just assuming ‘oh wow the students did not sign in today’ and be upset about that. Just understanding that everybody has a different background and situation that could be impacting their school. It's important that we understand this, especially in times of COVID.
Q: What is your favorite memory with HOPES?
I think my favorite memory in general was just being able to go to the shelter and going to GNP. Also during the summer I was going to Frieda's place pretty regularly, and I really enjoyed that. Frieda is so welcoming and awesome. I think my favorite moments were either at Frieda's place or at GNP. In specific, there was one of the summer days where we got to go outside and just play basketball. It's kind of such a small thing but it was really fun and I felt the most connected with them when we got to play something that they all enjoyed.
Well, I have a minor in educational policy and as part of that minor, the last thing I had to do was find an internship where I could practice some kind of policy. So I was just doing a lot of research trying to find something when I stumbled upon Chicago HOPES for Kids. I was interested because they focused on homelessness and education of students who are experiencing homelessness.
Q: What does volunteering mean to you?
Volunteering is super important to me. It is very important to be involved in the community that you are a part of and to help out in any way that you can. So I love how Chicago HOPES gave me an opportunity to volunteer my time with kids, especially because I am passionate about helping kids, as I am going to be a teacher.
Q: So, how was balancing doing HOPES while also being a school teacher and being in school yourself?
It definitely was really hard sometimes. I started over the summer while I was taking a summer class and was a part of Golden Apples, which was another internship that was all virtual. It was just really hard to balance everything. Going into this school year it was even harder because I also babysit on the side of doing HOPES, University classes, and being a student teacher. So, it was definitely hard to balance but I tried to be as available as I could be and present when I was working with Chicago HOPES and for my other responsibilities. What helped me was really just managing my time and making sure to have a really organized planner.
Q: How has the transition to virtual been as you are a student, a student teacher and a volunteer for HOPES? And what have you learned from it?
It was actually pretty eye-opening to see it from both perspectives because from the teacher perspective you're like “Why aren't these kids on the computer the whole time?” or like “Why are they signing off?” Because I was able to see first-hand from students at the shelter how hard it is to be on the computer all the time, I understood. Also I learned that there are so many outside reasons that they might not be signing in to class that day. Even at GNP, there weren't enough outlets or didn't have computers at the beginning. It opened my eyes to realize that teachers really need to be more understanding and responsive to the students' needs rather than just assuming ‘oh wow the students did not sign in today’ and be upset about that. Just understanding that everybody has a different background and situation that could be impacting their school. It's important that we understand this, especially in times of COVID.
Q: What is your favorite memory with HOPES?
I think my favorite memory in general was just being able to go to the shelter and going to GNP. Also during the summer I was going to Frieda's place pretty regularly, and I really enjoyed that. Frieda is so welcoming and awesome. I think my favorite moments were either at Frieda's place or at GNP. In specific, there was one of the summer days where we got to go outside and just play basketball. It's kind of such a small thing but it was really fun and I felt the most connected with them when we got to play something that they all enjoyed.
